Cats hit as Elliott kept out by injury

Sunderland's bid to revive a lamentable season at White Hart Lane this weekend has suffered a major blow after it emerged that Stephen Elliott stands little chance of making his comeback against Tottenham.

Sunderland's bid to revive a lamentable season at White Hart Lane this weekend has suffered a major blow after it emerged that Stephen Elliott stands little chance of making his comeback against Tottenham.

The Republic of Ireland international, whose two league goals make him the club's joint leading scorer in Premiership football, has missed the Black Cats' last three matches with a back problem.

And while Mick McCarthy had hoped Elliott would be fit to face Liverpool at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night, it seems the 21-year-old's troubles continue to persist.

"It (the striker's participation at Tottenham) is possible but it is unlikely," admitted the Sunderland manager, who will definitely be without Julio Arca and Stephen Wright again as he prepares a depleted squad to face a Spurs team beaten just once - by Chelsea - on home soil this season. "It would be nice to have Stephen back, for him to be involved at some stage. But I think this game will come a little too soon."

McCarthy will be able to call upon Anthony Le Tallec, the on-loan Liverpool striker who was ineligible to face Rafael Benitez's team this week, but that will not inspire confidence in anyone who saw the Frenchman's lethargic performance against Birmingham last weekend.

Le Tallec aside, it seems as though the Black Cats boss will be forced to rely on the same players who proved themselves to be out of their depth when, having played to their full potential against Liverpool, they were nonchalantly brushed aside by the Champions League winners.

Wright, who has not played since the opening day of the season, is still receiving treatment on a thigh problem, whilst Alan Stubbs will be out of action until after Christmas.

Arca, who has been missed so badly during his long spell on the sidelines, will have to wait at least another week. A player who is severely short of match fitness will struggle to return to action this side of Christmas.

"Julio isn't going to make it," said McCarthy last night. "We are probably looking at Charlton (on December 10) or beyond. He has only played 45 minutes and had two or three training sessions in the last eight weeks so we don't want to rush him back."

The prognosis is even worse for George McCartney, with a medical bulletin this week reporting that a player who has not played all season is not expected to return to training for another eight weeks as he continues his recovery from a serious hamstring problem.

That would mean the Northern Ireland international would not be likely to pull on a red-and-white shirt much before March. And while his manager is hoping McCartney will be back sooner than expected, he will not rush the return of the unfortunate defender.

"George is doing very well and he is probably in front of the prognosis for where he should be," said McCarthy. "There are not too many operations we can compare his to. It was quite a strange one so we have to make sure that he is absolutely right.

"It was a big operation but he is progressing. I think he will be back before the time that was set for him but we want to make sure that he is right. He has a long career in front of him and we want to make sure that he is not hampered in any way."

Meanwhile, McCarthy last night cast doubt on his interest in the Ajax striker Angelos Charisteas and insisted that, although the Greek international's name has been discussed, he has not made a move for the player.

Sources in Holland have reported that Charisteas has held talks with Black Cats officials with a view to moving to the Stadium of Light next month on loan until the end of the season.

But a manager said: "I haven't been in for him (Charisteas). I am looking at a whole host of names and his was one that was thrown at us."